Improvement in locks for freight-car doors



Patented Feb. 4,1873.

Inventor ww Witnesses Au, PHOTU-UTHDGEAHIIC cu. uxmsaoms mocm) UNITEDSTATES WILLIAM S. BREYVSTEB, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN LOCKS FOR FREIGHT-CAR DOORS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 135,402, dated February4, 1873.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM S. BREWS TEE, of Chicago, in the county ofCook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Door-Locks for Railway Freight-Oars, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description, which will enableothers skilled in the art to which my invention appertains to make anduse the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming apart of this specification, and in which Figure 1 represents a sideelevation of a railway freight-car door provided with my improved lock;Fig. 2, a top view of the lock attached to the door; Fig. 3, a verticalcentral section of the look when the same is in the position representedin Fig. 2, and in the plane of the line as a; in Fig. 4; Fig. 4, an endview of the lock and key, the end of the case being removed; and Fig. 5,a front view of the sealing device.

V The object of my invention is to make a lock particularly adapted torailway freight-car doors; and to that end it consists of a springcatchapplied to one of the cardoors, and provided with a key-post and one ormore wards, in combination with a spring which engages the spring-catchso as to prevent the latter from being operated except by means of akey, and so that the door may be unlocked by means of the engagement ofa key with the ward or wards upon the springcatch. It also consists of asliding plate and perforated pin arranged upon the case, so as to admitof the key-hole being covered by the sliding plate, and of the latterbeing then sealed.

In the drawing, A represents a sliding door, which slides in thedirection indicated by the arrow; and B is a stop which limits itsmovement in the opposite direction. 0 is preferably a metallic stripupon the side of the car. I) is a spring-catch, one end of which isrigidly attached to the car-door. The free end of the catch D is bent atright angles, or nearly so, and plays in a slot in the door, and itsnatural position is such that the shoulder thus formed will strike the'end of the piece 0 when the door is shut, and prevent it from beingopened so long as the catch is in its natural position. The bent part ofthe catch D is provided with the key-post E and cut away in the mannershown in Figs. 3 and 4, forming a ward, d. F is a case fitted into theslot of the door, and G is a spring attached to the case and engagingthe free end of the catch, so as to lock the latter in the positionshown. H is the key made to fit the post E and provided with a bit, suchthat, by turn-- ing the key inthe proper direction, the spring G will bedisplaced from its engagement with the catch, and the bit engage theward cl, so that the catch may be drawn from its engagement with thepiece 0 and the door opened. By closing the door the catch and spring Gresume their former position. I employ the spring G for the purpose ofpreventing the door from being readily unlocked except by the key, and,in order to further prevent the lock from being picked, the edges of theward d may be beveled off in the manner shown, and the catch may beprovided with two or more wards, d.

I deem it preferable to employ the metallic strip 0 for the purpose offorming a stop for the catch, and a continuous way for it to ride on asthe door is drawn back and forth;

but neither the continuous metallic strip (J nor the beveled edge ofitheward or wards d are essential to my invention.

All the parts should work as closely as possible in the case, so as tomore effectually prevent the lock from being picked. I is a slidearranged over the key-hole. J is a pin passing through projections onthe case and slide. The lower end of this pin is perforated, and a smallwire is passed through the perforation. The object of this perforatedpin is to admit of the lock being sealed by means 'of wax affixed overthe wire in the perforation.

I have here described my improved lock in connection with a railwayfreight-car door, but it is obvious that it may be employed for variousother purposes, and I do not intend to limit myself to the applicationof it to the use here shown.

Having thus described my invention, what 2. The sliding plate I andperforated pin J I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letarrangedupon the case F so as to cover the ters Patent, is key-hole and admit ofbeing sealed, substan- 1. In combination with the spring-catch D tiallyas specified.

provided with the post E, or its equivalent, WILLIAM S. BREWSTER.

and one or more Wards (1 arranged as de- Witnesses:

scribed, the spring Gr engaging the catch, sub- N. O. GRIDLEY,

stantially as and. for the purpose specified. F. F. VVARNER.

